Carnival Expanding Cheap Social Media Access to Entire Fleet

Andrew Sheivachman, Skift

- Aug 10, 2015 4:02 pm

Skift Take

By offering low-cost social media access to passengers, Carnival Cruise Lines will enable cruisers to generate positive online marketing for the company. Perhaps they are seeing the value, and cost-effectiveness, of relying on customer testimonials instead of traditional marketing methods.

— Andrew Sheivachman

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Carnival Cruise Lines will expand cheap social media access to its entire fleet in early 2016, allowing passengers to share their experience online without expensive data fees.

For $5 per day, Carnival will provide cruisers with unlimited access to social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. The discounted Internet plan is already available on 13 of the company’s 24 ships.

The cruise line is looking to help passengers create more social media content while on vacation.

“In today’s world, consistent and reliable access to fast internet is important to consumers, many of whom want to share their unique vacation moments as they happen,” Gabriela Gonzalez, vice president of photo and guest technology for Carnival Cruise Lines, told Skift. “Our new social media packages provide vacationers an affordable way to both stay in touch with friends and family, and also instantly refresh their social media feeds with fun and memorable photos.”

Carnival also offers a $16 per day Value plan and $25 per day Premium plan, aimed at passengers looking to Skype and stream video. Users can still only use one device at a time on one plan, however.

The cruise line will also expand the availability of its Carnival HUB app, which allows intraship communication for $5 per cruise, to all vessels by mid-2016. The app is currently only available on Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Breeze.